I'll Be Home
by silvershadowrebel
Summary: Steve contemplates Christmas gifts, Tony gets in the festive mood, and Clint and Natasha have to go on a mission. Follow the Avengers in the two weeks leading up Christmas and their preparations for the big day. One-shot, no slashes.


**So, ironically enough, I started writing this on July 4th. Yes. In the middle of a 91 degree heat wave. Clearly I'm a die hard New Englander. **

**I just got this idea when I was thinking about a chapter for my other story, Dumbledore's Questionable Plan, and started wondering what the Avengers team would get each other for Christmas. This took some intense thought. **

**YES THERE'S COULSON!**

**Disclaimer: The Avengers, alas, are not mine. But they will be, I will join the team *looks around suspiciously* MWHAHAHAHAAAAAaaa cough cough. Right.**

I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love  
Even more than I usually do  
And although I know it's a long road back  
I promise you

I'll be home for Christmas  
You can count on me  
Please have snow and mistletoe  
And presents by the tree

Christmas eve will find me  
Where the love light gleams  
I'll be home for Christmas  
If only in my dreams

-December 11-

Steve Rogers, more popularly known as Captain America, walked down the streets of New York, window shopping. It was Christmas time. He wasn't sure if the others celebrated Christmas, but he felt like he should get each of them something. Especially Tony, since he was nice enough to let the rest of the team use his tower as a pit stop every now and then. But the thing was, what was he supposed to get them?

Tony had practically every toy imaginable, and if he didn't, he could just buy it. Additionally, Steve still wasn't great with today's technology so he wouldn't know what was Tony-worthy. And he still believed in surprises, so he wasn't going to just up and ask Tony.

Thor, who Steve assumed would probably stop by on Earth, even if it was just to visit Jane, had little interest in "Midguardian tools".

Bruce wasn't exactly, either. He often spent time with Tony in the workshop, so Steve wasn't too sure what Bruce liked. Maybe new medical supplies? But that didn't seem like a very good Christmas gift.

Clint and Natasha were about as easy to decipher as the Rosetta Stone. They were both so closed off, whenever they crashed at the tower. Steve rarely saw them, because they were either on some mission halfway across the world or they were sleeping at the Stark tower.

Contrary to popular belief, the Avengers were not one big happy family. Truth was, they were a bit closer after the whole "aliens are attacking earth" fiasco, but they didn't spend much time near each other, and half the time they didn't even get along. They were more like a mid-sized, highly dysfunctional extended family. Tony still annoyed Steve with his 'devil may care' attitude. Natasha was still careful around Bruce, but then again, so would Steve if the Hulk had rampaged on _him_. Thor was never around. Clint was stony cold to everyone except Natasha. He probably thought that the rest of them saw him as weak. To be honest, Steve had a huge amount of respect for the man. He never gave up, like many might have.

So, in short, Steve had no idea what to do. He decided to take a trip to his usual cafe.

Without intending it, Steve had become a regular there over time. Most people went there to watch Iron Man fly overhead, but Steve went there for peace and tranquility. It was a great place to think. And one of the waitresses, Kelcie, was always polite to him, letting him stay there for hours on end, sketching the city skyline. She'd been quieter after the battle for New York, almost in awe of him. Vaguely, he could remember seeing her in the bank he'd saved. She'd probably recognized him in there.

It had been nicer when she had no idea who he was.

Steve sat down at an empty table and waited for Kelcie to come over. She did in a matter of minutes.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Rogers," she smiled. "The usual?"

"Yes, thank you," he smiled back. She returned within thirty seconds, carrying a pitcher full of regular black coffee. Steve still hadn't gotten used to all these fancy versions of coffee. He stared thoughtfully at the coffee cup.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Rogers?" Kelcie asked. Steve looked up, seeming to remember she was there.

He hesitated for a second before asking the question. "Ma'am, if you were to buy your friends Christmas gifts, what would you get them?"

"Well, it depends on who they are. Are they for the other Avengers?" she asked quietly. Most still didn't know he was Captain America, and Steve felt a surge of respect for the woman. She hadn't blabbed to the rest of the world about his identity. He nodded.

Kelcie sat down in the other chair. "I would give them something that they would remember you by. Something personal. Something, that when they look at it or pick it up, they will remember it's from you. It's from Captain America. And they'll never forget that."

Realization dawned on Steve's face as he understood what she meant. He stood up quickly, coffee forgotten. He threw a five dollar bill on the table.

"I think I've figured it out. Thank you so much!" he sent Kelcie a winning smile before exiting the cafe into the cold winter weather outside.

-.-.-.-

-December 18-

Phil Coulson was an agent of SHIELD. He had survived an alien spear to the heart. He could match Fury in a staring contest any day. He led a team of misfits, two of which were constantly at each others throats. Bad guys were no match for him.

But he almost, _almost_, faltered under the glares he was receiving from his two best agents.

To be honest, he couldn't really blame them. If he was in their position, he'd be mad at his handler, too. He was more worried about the way they'd treat everybody else in the head quarters. Not everybody was immune to the power their expressions held.

Clint Barton stood up. "I'm taking this to Fury," he stated calmly before walking out the door, Natasha Romanoff following suite.

"Clint!" Coulson called out, hurrying to catch up with the two. Clint was already halfway down the hall, and everybody who had once been in the hall was in the hall no more. The two master assassins slipped quietly into the stairwell, that was only used for fire escapes and the convenience of those who were too skeptical to use an elevator. So, basically, Barton and Romanoff.

When they reached the atrium, everybody made sure not to get withing a ten-foot radius of the two agents. They made it to Fury's office, and Barton knocked and entered, before waiting for the answer.

Fury looked up when the three entered. "What brings you here today, Agent Barton?" he asked, not even perturbed by the fact that the arrival was unannounced.

"Why are Agent Romanoff and I going on a mission _during Christmas_?" The words were careful, like any second he might blow up. "We don't get any holidays like normal people to begin with, the least you could do is let us get Christmas off."

"Barton, you knew that you would be on call no matter what time of year when you joined up," Fury replied wearily.

Barton wisely didn't answer—it was clear what he thought of his 'joining up'.

"But couldn't this wait a few weeks?" Romanoff asked, cocking an eyebrow in Fury's direction.

Fury raised his hands in a sign of self defense. "This was not my decision. If it was up to me, of course I would let you have Christmas. But the Council ordered this, and after the New York debacle, I'm on thin ice with them." When they continued to stare accusingly, Fury softened a teensy bit. "Look, Clint, Natasha, Phil, this isn't a huge mission. Go in, get the job done, get out. Maybe you'll be back before Christmas."

"It's in Serbia," Clint deadpanned. "You know nothing good ever happens in Serbia."

Fury gave Clint one good glare. "Just go," he ordered.

"Clint," Phil said softly. He could see the muscle in Clint's jaw tick as he gave Fury one last look. Then he turned and followed Phil out of the office.

"Back before Christmas, my ass," Phil could hear Clint mutter as he made his way to his quarters.

-.-.-.

-December 20-

Tony looked around the sitting room to view his masterpiece. True, he wasn't big on decorations for Christmas, but there was something different about this year. Maybe it was the people he'd met, or the things he'd accomplished. Or maybe it was the fact that he was in New York, for once, and he was able to experience why a white Christmas was so magical.

A Christmas tree sat in the corner of the room, decked out in decorations that Pepper had bought for him over the years. There were pieces of tinsel strewn over the floor, a result of a failed attempt to drape it on the tree. Light were pinned over the doorways and music played softly in the background. Last week, Tony had discovered Mannheim Steamroller, and it was his new favorite. Red and green baubles could be found _strategically _(Tony wouldn't let anybody call it anything else) placed throughout the living quarters of the tower.

"Jarvis?"

"Sir?" the AI replied coolly.

"When will Pepper be back, do you think?"

"She said she was going shopping. She left about two hours ago. I should not expect anytime within the next hour and a half."

"Awesome," Tony quipped, flopping into the sofa (accented with Christmas pillows that Pepper had only been too happy to purchase). He pulled out his Starkphone, running through the contacts. His finger paused over Steve's number, before pressing down to automatically dial the number.

Steve answered on the fourth ring.

"-eah?"

"Hey, Steve, it's Tony."

"_Hey Stark. What's up?_"

Tony considered his decision before answering. Was he sure about this? "Listen, I'm doing a little get together for Christmas. Nothing big. Just the Avengers, Pepper, Coulson and Fury, maybe, if they actually decide to take some time off. Maybe you can come over sometime on Christmas Eve, stay the night, what do you think?"

There was a pause at the other end. Tony was about to say _forget it_, but then Steve replied. "_Yeah, sure. I'd love that. Just anytime?_"

"Yup. You can bring some food if you want, but I'm sure Pepper will have everything imaginable."

"_Alright. I'll see you there. Thanks, Tony._" And Steve did really sound thankful. The call ended, and Tony smiled. He was proud of himself, that Pepper didn't have to make him call his comrades. Maybe he did change.

The next person on the list was Thor. Tony wasn't really sure how to contact Thor while he was on Asgard, but he'd left a memo on Fury's desk the last time he'd visited. Fury being a super secret spy and everything, Tony figured he probably knew how to contact the demigod.

Tony didn't have to call Bruce; he'd be back in a few hours anyway. He had gone out to the store for something (Tony hadn't caught what his science partner had mumbled before almost running out of the tower). Pepper was also a given—she had organized the whole thing with him, anyway. That left the two scariest members of the team to call.

Barton and Romanoff. Tony knew Barton the least out of everybody, so he had no idea what the quiet man would say about the invite. And Romanoff... Tony knew she had mixed feelings for him.

Tony decided to call Barton first.

_Ring. Ring. _"_What is it Stark? I can't really talk right- ow! Nat!_"

Tony could feel his eyebrow leave its rightful place. He could vaguely hear Natasha's apology. "Are you busy right now? Should I call back later?" The mockery was so obvious that it could have practically grown legs and walked out of the phone.

"_You have a disgusting mind, Stark_."

Tony smirked. "Hey, at least you save me from having to make a call to Natasha, too."

"_What _do _you want?_" The question was quickly followed by a string of swears in Russian. "_I told Fury that nothing good happens in Serbia_."

"Wait, what? Why are you in Serbia? Are you injured?" Tony asked quickly.

"_We are in Serbia because we are on a mission. Yes, I am injured. Now why are you calling?" _Barton was beginning to sound agitated.

"Do you think you'll be back before Christmas? Because I'm doing this little get-together with the Avengers and some other people. I was wondering if you and Natasha would like to come. Christmas Eve through Christmas day."

There was a minute of silence, then, "_It's highly improbable that we will be back before the New Year. We might have made it if we'd known AsCon was this weekend, but everything got pushed back because of that. Sorry._"

"What's AsCon?" Tony asked, interest piqued.

Barton didn't answer.

"Oh, it's one of those super secret spy secrets. I get it. Okay, well, just remember the door's open if you change your mind."

"_Thanks, Tony_."

Tony was beginning to like that phrase.

-.-.-.-.-

-December 23-

Pepper found Bruce intensely studying the carrots in the grocery store they had taken a field trip to.

"Is there something wrong with the carrot, or are you just having a staring contest with it?" she asked playfully, sidling up to him.

"I'm trying to find the perfect carrot," Bruce muttered distractedly.

"What for?"

Bruce finally decided that the carrot was satisfactory and placed it in his basket. "My contribution to this Christmas is making the dinner."

"Oh, that's nice," Pepper smiled. "Would you like any help?"

"Nah," Bruce said, picking out an onion. "Consider this an apology for not having gifts."

Pepper lightly swatted his arm. "I'd be surprised of anyone other than Tony and I had gifts for people. You don't need to compensate for it. At least let me help find the ingredients."

Bruce rolled his eyes lightly. "Fine," he smiled and handed her the grocery list. After they finished in the produce store, they moved on to the meat shop, where Bruce purchased two large chickens.

After they were finished, Pepper pulled Bruce into one of her favorite little coffee shops in the city. They each ordered their favorite type- for Bruce a regular black coffee, for Pepper a pumpkin spice latte. As they walked back to the tower, Bruce breached the question that he had been wondering about for a while.

"All the years you've worked for Tony..." he started, "have you spent every Christmas with him?"

Pepper was quiet for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, if-"

"No, no, you didn't know," Pepper stopped Bruce. "Not at the beginning. But my mom never understood why I stayed with him year after year. We got into a lot of fights." What happened after that was implied in the silence following.

Bruce wasn't sure what to say.

Pepper continued. "Before Tony...changed, he wasn't all that bad. He had this certain sort of...charm, I guess. He had a way of showing affection without publicizing it. For my birthday he would 'give me a gift'. In other words, I could buy myself anything I wanted and use his bank account."

"Impersonal," Bruce noted.

Pepper shrugged, at least as much as she could while carrying a cup of coffee and groceries. "Tony's not big on showing his emotions."

"So I noticed," Bruce smiled dryly.

The two were a block away from the tower when the gray sky broke and large, fat snowflakes began to fall on their shoulders.

Bruce looked up. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas?" he tried, singing a little.

Pepper looked at him. "Do you sing?" she asked. Bruce snorted.

"'Course not."

-.-.-.-

-December 23-

The silence was almost uncomfortable.

Clint Barton sat on a chair, feet propped up in the table, while Natasha Romanoff sat on the counter top and swung her legs like a little kid. That was about the extent of their safe house. A small bathroom in great need of a visit from Extreme Makeover Home Edition sat behind a door with peeling paint. In the far corner were three cots and a dresser. A small kitchenette was stocked with dried and canned food. The only thing to determine the season was a small, one-foot tall Charlie Brown Christmas tree on the counter next to Natasha. But that was not what the two agents were silent about. They were plotting. And failing, miserably.

How _do_ you seduce a man who happens to be happily married and never been known to cheat on his wife?

Another five minutes passed.

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Natasha suggested. Clint stood up and walked over to the single window that looked over a busy, populated street in Belgrade, Serbia. He watched people make their way down the street, some wandering and some hurrying. They were always so busy, they never bothered to look up. Clint's head whipped to look at his partner.

"I think you're right," he said.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I didn't actually have an idea, I was just throwing that out there."

"No," Clint said urgently. "Don't try to seduce him. Just be friendly. Charming. Sweet, but not looking for sex."

"Then what?" Natasha's eyes followed Clint as he paced over to the cots.

"Coulson is with another team right now, right? He won't be back with us for a while. And our orders were to "terminate the threat". That doesn't necessarily mean kill him." Clint wasn't really sure where he was coming up with these ideas, but he was on a roll and wasn't about to stop. He reached into the weapons bag and pulled a futuristic-looking gun. "I propose we take him out with one of these little bullets, He wakes up from a coma three weeks later, on a beautiful tropical paradise with his lovely wife. In the meantime, SHIELD thinks he's dead. Problem solved."

"And how do we connect those two plans? I sweet-talk him into holding still while I shoot him with highly concentrated NyQuil?"

Clint opened one of the drawers in the dresser and pulled out a file containing blueprints for the man's mansion. He laid it out on the table and Natasha leaned over curiously. "There's a small porch on the west side of the house that opens up to some small woods. When he has his Christmas party, act like you need some air and bring him out there. I'll be in a tree with a good shot. When everybody is panicking, slip out the side door, here, and I'll meet you."

Natasha bit her lip as she considered the plan. "How do you plan to get into the tree?"

Clint sent her a look that clearly said _did you seriously just ask that question_?"I climb," he said slowly.

Natasha sighed. "Clint, you shut got shot in the back three days ago. You're in no shape to climb anything, even a ladder."

"Then I'll shoot myself up with local anesthetic."

Natasha sighed and looked out the window for a minute.

"This might actually work."

-.-.-.-.-

-December 24-

Steve stepped out of the elevator at Stark Tower and was immediately taken aback. There was no possible way that somebody could miss it was Christmas time. The entire flat was decked out in red, green, and white. There was something on the wall behind the tree that made it look like it was snowing inside. Probably one of Stark's inventions. "White Christmas" was playing softly in the background, and Steve was immediately filled with nostalgia. He remembered the Christmas it was first aired, listening to the radio with his mother and Bucky's family.

"Hello?" Steve called out.

"One second!" a voice called out from around the corner. This was soon followed by a round of shouting. Steve rounded the corner to find Stark, Bruce, and Pepper sitting around a card table, playing some sort of card game. Bruce threw a card down onto the pile.

"Go low," he told Pepper.

Pepper studied the cards in her hand, before sticking her tongue out at Bruce and picking up the entire pile.

"What game is that?" Steve asked curiously.

"Shithead," Stark muttered distractedly, before realizing what he'd said. He looked up. "I mean, that's what the game is called. I wasn't calling you one," he said quickly.

Steve moved over to the table. "How do you play?"

Stark took a deep breath and began a long spiel. "Three cards on a bottom deck, can't look at those. Three on the top deck, facing up. Three in your hand. Each player has to play a card above the last one, except seven where you play low. Ace is highest, two beats ace, everything beats two. Ten clears the deck. All four of a number clears a deck. First to play all their cards wins."

Steve simply stared at Stark. "Okay, then."

"If you wait five minutes, Bruce is two cards away from winning." As he spoke, Stark threw one of his cards into the middle of the table. Bruce closed his eyes and turned over one of his cards and placed it on the pile. He opened one eye and sighed in relief. Immediately. Stark erupted.

"That's not possible! You looked! I know you did!" he pointed a finger at Bruce, who was laughing hysterically while trying to defend himself that, no, he didn't look and it was just luck. The same thing happened three plays later and Bruce threw his hands up in victory.

Stark stood up. "Cheater," he muttered. He grinned at Steve. "Merry Christmas! So far it's just us. Thor may be coming, we have no idea. I put my trust in Fury to relay the message, so I don't have much hope. Agent Coulson, Barton, and Romanoff are off on a mission right now. Doubtful they'll be back before Christmas, but I left the door open. What's in the bag?" Stark pointed at the large briefcase on Steve's back.

"Christmas gifts. I have Clint and Natasha's, but I may have to give them to them later."

"Great!" Stark rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I've got something for everyone, but I think we should wait until tomorrow to distribute them. I hear Bruce is going to be playing chef."

Steve glanced at Bruce, who was watching the pile of cards. "Really? What will you be making?"

"You'll see," Bruce gave the ambivalent answer. Steve raised his eyebrows and smiled a little.

"Should I be worried?"

Bruce smiled at the jibe but didn't say anything.

"So." Tony began, "I'm thinking we can watch a movie. Anybody have any preferences?"

There was an immediate response from all four adults in the room. When it was clear that they were getting nowhere, Pepper decided to write them all down in a list and vote on them. The list included _Miracle on 34__th__ Street, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Man Who Saved Christmas, _and _The Little Drummer Boy_.

"Did you know that the man who saved Christmas was a retired Olympic pole vaulter?" Bruce spouted the little factoid. The other three simply looked at him before returning to the list.

"I'm not watching _It's a Wonderful Life_," Tony stated. "It's too depressing."

"And I can't stand _The Grinch_," Bruce added.

"Okay," Pepper murmured as she crossed out those two movies. "I personally find _Rudolph _and _Little Drummer Boy_ weird. Cute, but strange animations."

"Elf is pretty funny."

"But _White Christmas_ is a classic."

"And _Miracle_ is heartwarming."

Their problems were solved by the arrival of the largest member of the Avengers.

"Greetings!" Thor greeted the others warmly. "I hope I am not too late. I received the invitation only a short while ago, and we worried that the time had already passed."

"Look who appeared!" Tony smirked. "I seems Fury does have a super secret way to contact Asgard. And no worries, we were just getting started. I don't suppose you have Christmas movie preferences, do you?"

Thor raised his eyebrows and smiled a little. "I'm afraid not."

"We could just have a movie marathon and watch all of them," Pepper suggested. Nobody disagreed to that idea, so the rest of the day was spent watching movies and eating cookies. Later that day, really more like that night, several bottles of wine were opened. The five bonded over stories of past Christmases. Some were funny, like when Pepper and her family got snowed in and attempted to make popcorn on the stove, and some were sad, like Steve's first Christmas without his father.

Around midnight, the Avengers decided to turn in.

-.-.-.-.-.

December 25

The next morning, the guests of Stark Tower were graciously awoken by Jarvis at the (reasonable) time of eight-thirty. They all made their way to the common room which housed the tree.

Several gifts were scattered underneath the lowest branches of said tree. There weren't many, but nobody was expecting there to be. Steve had kept the gifts in his room, Tony refused to tell anyone what his gifts were, Thor wasn't expecting to bring gifts, and Bruce's gift was Christmas dinner.

It was interesting to see that everyone was wearing practically the same thing—pajama pants and a sweatshirt. When Bruce entered, he didn't even bother to stop and instead continued straight into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He returned moments later with a tray of coffee mugs and handed them out to everyone.

"So, who wants to open up a gift first?" Tony asked. His eyes were still half-closed, but the coffee seemed to be helping. Everyone looked at each other. "Never mind, Pepper here's your gift to you from me." Tony got p and grabbed a small box from under the tree.

Pepper took the box cautiously. "It's not going to explode on me, is it?" she asked.

Tony smirked. "No. But you might explode from happiness." He winked, and Pepper shook her head. Her boyfriend was a lost case.

Pepper took her time opening the gift, which made Tony want to just rip it open _for _her. Pepper opened the box and pulled out a necklace. It was a silver chain with a pendant set in a silver base. The pendant was glass, cut to look like a crystal, encasing a small piece of metal.

The others were clearly confused, but Pepper gasped slightly. "Is this-?"

Tony motioned back to the box, and Pepper picked up a small card that was sitting at the bottom of it. It read: _Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart_.

It was a piece of the shrapnel that Tony had had removed.

A slightly queer gift, but then again Tony wasn't exactly normal.

Pepper grinned widely and kissed Tony on the cheek.

"I see I'm not too late," a new voice said from the doorway. Everyone spun around to find Coulson standing in the doorway.

His clothes were rumpled, the briefcase he carried looked like it had taken a beating, and there were dark circles under his eyes. But he was mostly intact.

"Coulson!" The name, spoken from five different people was slightly overwhelming. Nontheless, Phil managed to smile.

"Come in, sit down," Tony grinned. "Were Barton and Romanoff not able to make it?"

Coulson frowned. "I was taken off their mission a while ago. I was with a different team thzt got home this morning."

Pepper smiled warmly. "Well, at least you are here."

Steve snickered. When everyone looked at him, he reached into the bag next to his feet and pulled out a small box. "Merry Christmas, Phil."

Phil took the box and opened it. Inside was the complete set of Captain America trading cards, all signed. Phil looked like a little kid in a candy shop. "Thank you so much. But aren't these supposed to be in my office?"

Steve bit his lip to keep from laughing. "You weren't the only person who collected the cards."

"Steve?!" Bruce exclaimed, laughing. "You collected them yourself?"

Steve shrugged. "It's not every day that you get to collect yourself. They were found in my apartment after I... disappeared. Fury returned them to me when they thawed me out."

"Well, thank you. I'm afraid I didn't have enough time to buy real gifts, so I took a pit stop in the airport on the way home." He pulled out Avenger action figures, their boxes labeled in some other language. Everyone laughed and accepted their figures.

"I suppose I can give you people my gifts now," Steve said, pulling out several canvases, all in varying sizes. "For a while I couldn't figure out what to buy. Then a friend of mine told me that you don't always have to buy something to make it memorable." He handed the first—and largest—to Tony. It was wrapped loosely in tissue paper, which Tony quickly ripped off.

The gift was a painting of Tony. He was stationed in his workshop, focusing intently on something on the bench. Steve had used acrylic paints to represent the bright liveliness of the genius in his home territory.

Tony looked up at Steve quickly. "Is this a real scene?" he asked, voice filled with awe.

Steve nodded. "I walked into your workshop one day to ask you something. You were so focused on your work that you didn't hear Jarvis tell you that I'd arrived."

"It's amazing," Tony breathed, scanning the painting slowly.

Steve grinned and handed the next one to Bruce. It was smaller that Tony's.

The painting was of the Battle of New York, when Bruce came riding into battle on the old bike.

"I used pastels for you, because it suits your demeanor," Steve narrated. "Calm and relaxed, but surprisingly resilient."

Bruce smirked. "You managed to get my better side in this picture." The others snickered.

"And Thor," Steve said, pulling out a third canvas and handing it to the large warrior. Thor viewed it with raised eyebrows.

"Do I really look this handsome in the midst of battle?" he asked the room, who laughed. He showed everyone the watercolor painting. Thor was standing victoriously over a battle, hammer raised over his head. He looked downright _ferocious, _and storm clouds swirled over where the hammer reached towards the sky. The watercolors all blended into each other, making the background lines difficult to make out so that Thor was the focus of the painting. "It is wonderful!" he decided.

"My turn," Tony said. "Everyone, follow me." On the way to their destination, Tony did what he does best: fill the awkward silence with mindless chatter, going off tangents that ended up having no correlation whatsoever to the original topic.

"Alright," Tony finally said, standing in front of a closed door on an entirely new floor. "After the big battle and whatnot, and my tower kind of got destroyed, I decided to... redesign a few floors. I realized that you guys can't just stay in guest rooms when you come, so I designed "apartments" of sorts. Shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, Tony opened the door. It led to a hallway, sporadically decorated with doors.

The first door read "Steve". Underneath was a sign that could be flipped over. One side read "the Captain is IN" while the other side read "Captain who?". Inside was a small apartment, more like a suite. The main room transitioned from a bedroom into a sitting room without any real walls or doorways. A bathroom was through one door while kitchenette branched off the opposite wall. Multiple windows gave a view to the city.

The furnishing itself wasn't as modern as the rest of the tower, but it wasn't stuck in the past century, either. Humble would be the word to describe it.

"Thanks, Tony," Steve said, realizing that Tony genuinely cared. They moved on to the next room, which was labeled "Thor". The room was the same format as Steve's but it was decorated Asgardian-style.

"How did you get the furniture?" Thor asked Tony.

Tony smirked. "I have connections with Fury" was all he said on the matter. After spending a few more minutes on the Asgardian room, they moved on.

"Bruce" was the next room. The interior, similar to the previous two, was painted a calming blue. Not pastel, but a calming blue. Two very large windows opened up to the sky.

"This is amazing," Bruce murmured, looking out one of the windows. The others voiced their agreement, and Tony beamed like he'd just been told he won the Nobel prize. Bruce checked his watch. "As much as I'd love to stay here and chat, I should probably start making dinner." He disappeared down the hallway, the others soon to follow.

The rest of the day was spent lazing around, occasionally offering help to Bruce (only to be rejected each and every time, no matter who it was who asked), and making and eating cookies while listening to Christmas songs. At about three-thirty, everyone gathered around the table—which was now laden with food—and Bruce placed the roasted chickens on said table.

"This looks delicious, Bruce," Pepper praised the man. Bruce smiled.

"It was the carrot," he told her, and the two burst into laughter.

The six began to dig in, when two people appeared in the doorway.

Clint had a scratch on his cheek, and held himself delicately, like he was injured (Tony realized it must have been the bullet wound). Natasha didn't look much better. Her left arm was in a sling and her hair was a mess. Both were covered in a substantial amount of dirt.

"You made it!" Nobody could really distinguish who said the exclamation, but it was felt all around the table.

The two smiled tiredly. "It took a lot of improvisation. We didn't think we'd make it back until New Year's," Clint informed the group.

"What happened to your arm?" Phil asked Natasha worriedly.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "When Clint told me he'd pick me up outside of the mansion, he didn't tell me that I'd have to jump into a moving vehicle."

Phil turned an accusing eye to Clint, who shrugged. "We would have missed the flight if I'd stopped."

"And do I even want to know how you two completed a month-long mission in less than two weeks?"

"Let's just say it involved an interpretive understanding of our orders and me climbing a tree," Clint said airily before sitting down. "Now can we please eat? All we've had for the past three days is dried apricots."

Natasha took a seat next to Clint, and everyone continued eating, praising Bruce between mouthfuls. After they finished desert, Steve presented his gifts for the two assassins.

Natasha's print was mostly composed of charcoal. It depicted her relaxing on a couch, smiling at something someone in the room had just said. It was a genuine smile, and Natasha had let down her walls for once. The only color in the drawing was the red of her hair and a hint of green for her eyes.

Steve used drawing pencils for Clint. The perspective was a side profile of Clint, who was standing on the ledge of a building. Below him was the rest of the city, from a bird's eye view.

The two agents put their gifts in their rooms, which Tony showed them quickly after. Natasha's room was a comfortable theme, with warmly-colored walls and the couch covered in pillows. Clint's room had two walls just floor-to-floor windows and a balcony outside.

The Avengers, Pepper, and Phil spent the rest of the night talking over cups of coffee. When the song _I'll Be Home For Christmas_ came on over the speakers, everyone stopped and smiled. They were really starting to feel like family.

**-_- .oO zzzzzzzzzzzzzz (that is me falling asleep, btw). I feel like from 4000 to 5000 words took sooo looong... and I tried to keep everyone in character—do you know how hard that is? For example, even though Tony may act like a little kid sometimes, he does not talk like one. He has this sort of quirky, say-everything-really-fast way of talking that people portray badly in writing. And Steve is no where near as naïve as people make him. Oh, and Thor is not some giant. He is more muscular than most people, but he does not boom. He just talks loudly. **

**I decided to throw in the Bruce/Pepper bonding thing because I felt like they would get along well. **

**(over 6000 words and 10 pages... longest chapter/one-shot ever!)**

**Please review, and Merry Christmas/Quanza/Boxing Day/Festivus!**

**-Silver out.**


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